Thursday, June 14, 2012

" KUALA NERANG: Some 96 of 300 National Service (NS) trainees at Kem Dusun Resort near here have been quarantined for H1N1 infection since Wednesday night.
NS Training Department director-general Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil said 18 trainees were being treated and quarantined at Kuala Nerang Hospital while 78 more were quarantined in a special block in the camp.

"The Health Department is monitoring the cases and preventive measures have been taken to stop the virus from spreading," he said when contacted Thursday.
The camp management has also complied with procedures set by the Health Department and several health staff have been stationed in the camp.

"At the moment, all the trainees and staff are not allowed to leave camp until further notice."
Abdul Hadi advised parents not to visit the trainees, adding that contact was only allowed when necessary.

"If they need to meet with the trainees, parents can come but they must wear masks. They need not worry as preventive measures are taken in camp."

" Israel's Health Ministry reports increase of cases after four year period of relative calm; spike partly attributed to families refusing to be vaccinated.

There has been a significant increase in cases of the measles in northern Israel, according to recent research carried out by Israel's Health Ministry.

The study by the ministry's epidemiology department found 96 cases of measles by the end of May 2012, compared to only four cases of the disease in the same period in 2011, 14 in 2010, and two in 2009.

Some 63 of the cases this year – 65 percent - were reported in the north, while 20 percent were in Tel Aviv – some 20 percent - eight cases in the center of the country, four in Haifa, one in Jerusalem, and one in southern Israel.

The reported increase comes after four years of calm. In contrast to the previous country-wide outbreak, the current spike is concentrated in northern Israeli towns where vaccination rates stand at less than 90 percent, among refugees communities in Tel Aviv, and especially among babies who not yet one-year-old - the minimum vaccination age in Israel.

In light of the outbreak, the Health Ministry is now completing immunization programs among populations that refused to be vaccinated in the past, most of which are from small towns in the north. Family members of those suffering from measles are also eligible for preventative vaccination.

A large part of those who refuse to be vaccinated do so on ideological grounds, also citing possible side effects and exposure to toxins."

" TWO horses and a dog have have tested positive to the Hendra virus on Queensland properties quarantined with the deadly disease.
Authorities last week announced two horses had died of Hendra on properties near Rockhampton and at Ingham.

A dog on the Ingham property and two horses on the Rockhampton property tested positive in results returned on Monday night, Agriculture Minister John McVeigh says.

There has only been one other reported case of Hendra infecting a dog.

The dog had returned a weak positive test, Mr McVeigh said.

"Hendra officers have taken steps to isolate the animals and the properties will remain quarantined," he told parliament on Tuesday.

" The City Health Office revealed that dengue cases in the city is now at 1,053 with 14 fatalities.

City Health Officer Dr. Rodelin Agbulos again called on the public to continue intensified clean up drives to put a halt to the increasing number of dengue cases.

“Efforts have to be doubled or tripled in order to bring down the number of cases being registered in the hospitals and clinics. We appeal to the public to continue the campaign to search and destroy breeding places of dengue and help reduce the number of dengue incidents,” Agbulos stressed.

Agbulos said outbreak level remains in Zamboanga with the recent figure. He said the outbreak declaration cannot be lifted as of the moment. He also added that they have deployed teams in the different barangays in the city everyday to continue with the anti-dengue campaign. Medical teams, to include doctors in the different sub-districts of the city, are also advised to intensify their monitoring activities in their area."

" The government's move to vaccinate poultry against frequently changing avian influenza virus has 'surprised' experts because globally it is recommended not to use it for public health's sake.

Experts say the available vaccines in the world have been able to reduce poultry fatalities for some time, but the vaccinated birds' capabilities to transmit the disease 'silently' after being infected caused 'massive' human mortalities.

Indonesia, Egypt and Vietnam had been vaccinating poultries but stopped after an influx of human fatalities last year followed when the virus also changed its strain.

He said a committee had been formed to finalise the decision to that end.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) experts say they are 'surprised' by the move.

Mat Yamage, Chief Technical Adviser to the FAO Avian Influenza Control Programme, told bdnews24.com that earlier they 'warned' the government against using vaccines.

He said the situation where the vaccine once used was 'serious' and that 'there is no record of successfully controlling H5N1 with vaccines'.

"We would strongly say it should be discussed with technical experts."

Globally, it is recommended that poultry farms maintain bio-security to prevent the virus and government have measures for early reporting, rapid action, culling and surveillance to control avian influenza outbreaks."

" Suspected encephalitis has killed 15 children in Bihar's Muzaffarpur and Gaya districts in the last week, officials said Saturday.
The mosquito-borne disease, which claimed nearly 150 lives last year, has returned with a vengeance.

Eleven children have died in Muzaffarpur and four in Gaya. Over two dozen children have been admitted to hospitals in both places.
According to officials, 24 children have been admitted for treatment in hospitals in Muzaffarpur, about 70 km from here.

Muzaffarpur civil surgeon Gayan Bhusan said the children died after contracting high fever followed by convulsions."